Lone guard did not see accused enter building

The lone watchman at Vivek society in Ghatkopar (West) where Kamalaben Thakkar resides did not see anyone enter or exit the building, the police said. The building does not have any CCTV cameras either.

The lone watchman at Vivek society in Ghatkopar (West) where Kamalaben Thakkar resides did not see anyone enter or exit the building, the police said. The building does not have any CCTV cameras either.

An officer from the Ghatkopar police station said, “There was only one watchman in the building and he did not see the accused enter or come out. Many times, the watchman is asked to run domestic errands by residents, because of which his main job of securing the building suffers,” he said.

The police also believe that it was a fortunate coincidence that the office boy sent by Thakkar’s son Paresh came to the flat at around 4pm, when he found her injured and took her to the hospital. “No one in the building heard Thakkar’s shouts for help. Had the office boy not reached on time, she could have bled to death,” the officer said.

The office boy soon alerted the neighbours, and with their help, rushed Thakkar to nearby Sapna Healthcare Hospital, where the senior citizen is recuperating. When asked if she was registered with the police, senior inspector of Ghatkopar police station Ram Mandurke said that he would need to verify the detail.

A doctor from Sapna said that Thakkar was admitted to the intensive care unit after she was brought to the hospital at around 3.30pm. “She has sustained deep injuries on the neck as a result of assault. She has also suffered injury on the cervical spinal region and her windpipe is compressed,” said a doctor from the hospital. Doctors have sutured the injuries on Thakkar’s neck and have performed a tracheotomy procedure to enable her to breathe properly.

The police are also checking if the watchman of the building was registered with a security agency. “We are questioning the guards and the maid amongst other persons. The prime suspect remains the carpenter,” said Mandurke.

“It looks like the accused tried opening the cupboard doors, but did not find anything. We are waiting for the family to tell us if anything is missing,” said Mandurke.